I cleaned my microwave with 2 natural ingredients — the grime just melted off
My microwave was calling out for thorough deep clean. Instead of using a chemical cleaner, I turned to a natural remedy that champions the humble lemon.
Everyone seems to be a fan of home hacks nowadays, but I’m always sceptical about them. Can you always trust what people record and post on TikTok?
Lemons have long been favoured for homemade cleaning remedies due to their multipurpose properties. I recently saw a hack shown on This Morning by a former Great British Bake Off champion, praising the virtues of lemons for cleaning a variety of household items and appliances. One in particular was used for clearing away grime from microwaves.
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In essence, lemons are halved or sliced and put into a bowl of water, microwaved for a few minutes. Once finished, the grime should be easily wiped away.
That’s just what I did. The prescribed time to allow the hack to do its magic was a “few minutes”. However, after the first round, I noticed a hiccup.
Three minutes later, it wasn’t enough for the water to bubble. So I did another round of four minutes, at which time I could see diddy bubbles starting to form in the water.
So, I went again for five minutes, where I finally saw the water bubbling away like a cauldron. Happy that the water was finally doing the job, I left the steam to engulf the microwave as much as possible.
The wetter, the better. The lemon juice acts as a natural cleaner and deodoriser, breaking down grease and eliminating odours.
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Lemons’ acid nature is what helps break down grease and grime, in turn making it easier to wipe away. It's the citric acid in lemons that is known to help with cutting through grime - and killing bacteria.
Lemon scent can also help get rid of unwanted smells.
Noah Pinsonnault, from Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Care & Cleaning Lab, said: "It humidifies the inside of the microwave, softening stuck-on food. The fragrance from the lemon can also help to mask or get rid of odors that may be present.”
Armed with plenty of kitchen roll, I wiped away the excess water, noticing any mess had softened and reduced to slime. I needed a fair few pieces of towel to make sure all of the water had been moped up, taking any stuck-on food with it.
Although I’d be led to believe the lemon scent would neutralise any odours, I can’t say it overwhelmed them. I wouldn’t say the deodorising effects of the lemon was sufficient, it did a great job of cleaning all of the wanted surface sludge.
The best way to get rid of any smells is probably to use more lemons. Or if you’re desperate, use a chemical cleaner, as that’s part of what they’re created for.
I have to say I’m impressed with this particular lemon hack, and if I were out of commercial cleaners, this would be a great alternative.
